Improvement in hydraulic engines



ENRY J. Kme AND BENrofNL. BEEBE, 'or MIDDLEToWN, NnvvYoKn,

Letters Patent No. 97,779, dated December 14, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT, 1N HYDRAULIC ENGINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ati-the same.

T o all/whom' ctmay concern Beit known tl1at-we,HnNRY J. Kme and BENTON L. BEEBE, of Middletown, in the county of Orange, and State of New York,vhave invented anew and improved Fluidor Gas-Engine; and `we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciicaton,4 in which- Figure 1- is a front view.

Figure 2 is a side view.

`Figure 3. is an interior view, in detail, of rectangular box, showing valves' and valve-chamber.

Eigure 4 is a transversesection oi'reotaugular-box, taken in the plane :v-a: of fig. 3. Figure 5 is a view in detail of valve. Figure Gis a longitudinal section of rectangular box. Figure 7 is a sectional view of piston-box or cylinder, showing piston with air-chamber. n

Like letters in the diierent figures of the drawings indicate like parts. I

Our invention has reference to a fluid or gas-engine,

to be used for hoistingfpurposes, or as a small motivepower for running printing-presses, sewing-machines, and other light machinery, where it will not pay to use steam; and consistsof a rectangular box, provided with valves and a valve-chamber, in combination with the piston-,boxes or cylinders, having the pistons thereof provided' with air-chambers, the said valves being operated upon and regulated in their action by a slotted slide embracing the shaft of the fly-wheel, and having an arm, by which it connects with one or more levers, 'connecting with the stem` or rod of the valves, in combination with an elongated cam,attached to the shaft, thev said slide being so constructed and operated upon by thecam as that the valves will be `given a quick motion when the piston is at the end of yeach stroke,

thus permitting of the valves being operated the same veither way, and thereby ena-bling the engine Vto be completely reversed, so that it can be used toa great advantage for hoisting-purposes.

A is the rectangular box.

B is the valve-chamber, lformed longitudinally in the centre thereof by partitions and upperplates a a, with suitable packing over the latter, to .make valvechamber water-tight where the top plate of the box iits down on plates c u. These partitions and plates extend not quite to the ends of the box, in order to leave aipassage-way for the water around. the ends of the valve-chamber, the water being admitted through supply or inlet-pipeC, direct to thc valve-chamber, and passing from thence to exhaust or outlet-pipe b;

the-former being' attached to and extending through the side of the box to one of the partitions; thelatter beingattached to the bottom, opposite and betw'een the other partitions and side of the box.

D D are the valves, having their edges next to the sides ofthe valve-chamber fornml with recesses to receive pieces iitting therein, and having rubber springs intervening between them and theshoulders of the recess, so as to keep the pieces pressed against the sides ot' the valve-chamber, and thus make the valves Water-tight, the valves being placed on the rod or stem c with screw-threadsthereon, and fastened thereto by washers and screw-nuts d d. The rod, inpassing through the-end of the box, is made water-tight by the packing-box c.

` E'E-are the piston-boxes, bolted orotherwise fast-` ened to the top plate of box, the plate havingopen- Vings f j, for the admission ot' the water fromv valve' chamber to the piston-boxes, the latter having an orifice, g g, in each box, closed by stop-cocks, whereby the valves may bc lubricatedwith- `oil when required.

F F are the pistons or plungers, being similar to one cylindrical vessel placed within another, with bot- 'toms upward.

These pistons are, in depth, a little above the boxes which enclose them, when down on the bottoms thereof, and have a space divided off in the centre of The bottom of the spaces, or what m-ight'be termed the trunk of the pistons, serves, in connection with the elast-ic nature of the air, to break the force ofthe Water rushing into the boxes or cylinders E E,I so as to give 'an easy and regular motion to the pistons.

The pistons are made water-tight .by a ring of rubi ber surrounding them, and having a iiange fitting down in between them and the boxes, and `secured by a metallic collar, with flange bolted down on it to the ila-nge ofthe boxes or cylinders.

The 'piston-rods are suitably connected with cranks G G, attached rigidly to the ends of the shaft, which- I has its bearings in vjour!laleboxesattached to the heads of the standards H H, the iy or baud-wheel being secured to the shaft about thcvcentre between th piston-rods.

I is the slotted slide, the ,slot being of suiiicient width for the purpose of allowing slide to `be slipped on over the shaft, and ot' its having a free 1 1pand-do\vn` motion thereon, the end of the shaft extending beyondv vthe standard. This slide has V-shaped shoulders or projections i i atthe 'upper and lower ends thereof'.

and working in boxes m an, projecting from the sides of the standards. An arm,- n, projects from the lower end and side ot' slide, to which is pivoted an arm, o. At the lower end of arin o, and connecting therewith bya pivot-bolt with screw-nut, is a level-,1), which is supported by the fulcrum q.

Projecting downward 4from this lever 1), in a line with the pivot-bolt, which secures lever p to the fulcrnin, is a short arm, 7', connecting wit-li the end of lever s, supported in a guide-box u, the levers being so constructed as to4 make a turn at right angles, or have a crank connect it with the end of valve-rod, being fastened thereto by a screw-nut.

The object of the slide and earn, as will be obvious, is, on every alternate stroke of the pistons, the cam iinpinging against the V-shaped shoulders ofthe slide, causes the valve-rod to operate valves D D through the arms and levers described, connecting rod with slide, so as to regulate properly the admission of the water to each piston-box or cylinder', and as will also be obvious, the V-shape of the shoulders of t-hel slide enables the valves to be readily reversed, so that the engine may be worked as well one way as the other.

One great advantage is the facility with which this engine can be made to run by gas, by placing a third valve or cnt-off on the same valve-stem or rod with the other two valves, the valve beingr dat, with a slot in it to admit the gas through the supply or inletpipe when sliding by the same; and by arranging an electric battery to ignite the gas under the cylinders, we can run it by gas, thus making a fluidor gas-en gine, and by having an indicator attached, can measure the same as it passes through the engine.

Having thus fully described our invention,

XVhat we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is f l., The rectangular box A, provided with valvechamber B, valves D, inlet and outlet-pipes C b, in combination with piston-boxes E, having the pistons provided with air-chambers h', substantially as set forth.

2. The rect-angular box A, with partitions and plates a a, valves D D, rod or stern c, packing-box e, inlet and outlet-pipes C b, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

3. The pistons F, so constructed with air-chambers as to tbrm a trunk, extending to the bottom end thereof, in combination with valves and valve-chainber, substantially as set forth.

4. The slide I, provided with V-shaped shoulders i, and connecting by levers with valve-rod or stem c, in combinationwith elongated cam J, substantially as set forth.

5. 'lhe elongated cam J, so arranged with slide, as to impinge against either sideof the shoulders 'L thereof, and operate the valves, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

v HENRY J. KING.

BENTON L. BEIJBE. Witnesses:

A. VAN Nasr PoWELsoN, W. BURRIs. 

